Requiem for the Souls
by SupernaturalFanatic19
Summary: It's been a few months since the defeat of Deepground and all has been well…until a phone call comes for Shell. After giving directions to an island near the Western Continent, Shell gets herself more than she bargained for, especially when she encounters the spirits of old friends and foes.


**Requiem for the Souls**

**Summary: **It's been a few months since the defeat of Deepground and all has been well…until a phone call comes for Shell. After giving directions to an island near the Western Continent, Shell gets herself more than she bargained for, especially when she encounters the spirits of old friends and foes.

_**Chapter 1**_

_**It all started with a phone call…**_

"Shell?" there was a knock on the outside of the bathroom door. "Are you dressed?"

"Give me a second." I replied and slid on my red short sleeve shirt over my upper-bra claded torso. I also had on my black skinny jeans and once I straightened my shirt, I opened the door to reveal Tifa. "What's up?"

She pointed down the stairs with her thumb, her red eyes looking up into my dull hazel ones. I was a couple inches taller than her, me being at a total height of 5'5". "There's a man on the phone downstairs, asking for you."

I pursed my lips into a thin line and quirked an eyebrow. "Did the man give his name?"

Tifa shook her head. "No, he just said 'Is there a Miss Hartford there?'."

I was silent for a moment before I spoke. "Alright, I'll be downstairs in a moment."

Tifa nodded and walked back downstairs. I closed the door and then glanced at myself in the mirror. For being a woman of 28-years old, I looked quite younger than my actual age. In fact, I still looked in my late teens. My dark brown hair had grown a little over the years and now reached my thighs, straight and somewhat spiky, but clearly not as spiky as Cloud's hair.

I sighed softly and walked downstairs, my bare feet padding softly on the wooden stairs and I cringed a little as I heard them creak and groan. I finally appeared downstairs and Tifa handed me the phone. "Here Shell."

"Thanks." I spoke and put the phone to my ear. "This is Miss Hartford."

"_Miss Hartford, it is quite a pleasure to finally talk to you." _A man's voice said on the other end. I swear I could feel a smile on the other end. The man's voice sounded deep and smooth…almost like someone else I knew….

I shrugged the thought away and quirked an eyebrow. "I don't think we've ever met before Mr.…?"

"_Vanpelt. Kahn Vanpelt." _

"Okay Mr. Vanpelt, can I ask you how you know my name AND where I live?" I asked as politely as I could.

"_Miss Hartford, I am afraid I need your help." _Mr. Vanpelt sighed softly. _"I know about your magnet ability-." _

"And how the HELL did you know that?" I growled slightly, causing Tifa to approach me, but I held a hand up.

"_A very old friend whom we both knew very well. Sephiroth." _

I went rigid. "What….?" I asked in a somewhat stunned voice. The only people I ever told about my magnet ability were Sephiroth and Angeal…..

Mr. Vanpelt went on to tell me that he had known Sephiroth for a very long time, even before I appeared in the Shinra Building. He even knew that I had come from an entirely different universe and believed me. I had to sit down to take most of it in. Apparently Seph never mentioned Mr. Vanpelt to me, but he mentioned ME to Mr. Vanpelt.

"So what exactly do you need my help with?"

"_A few weeks ago, a couple murdered their children while performing a séance. The oldest was shot in the head and the youngest was drowned. The parents died after the séance…but then they have trapped the spirits…or souls of people in their mansion. One of those souls…..is Sephiroth." _

The phone nearly slipped out of my hands, but I caught it just in time before it could shatter on the wooden floorboards. "His soul….is trapped….?"

"_Yes and it cannot move on until the dark spirits of the parents are banished. Your magnet will lure the souls in and you will have a chance to free them and defeat the dark ones." _

I shakily put a hand to my mouth, trying to hold back my tears. One of my former best friends…..his soul….trapped….unable to move on or rest in peace. I sniffled and took my hand away from my mouth, putting it back on my thigh. "Alright, I'll help you."

"_Thank you Miss Hartford. Would you be willing to meet me at Black Mansion tomorrow afternoon?" _

"Yes."

"_Excellent. I will see you then." _

"Of course…." I nodded a little and then hung up, giving the phone back to Tifa.

"So…who was it?"

…

"You're not going."

I glared at the slightly taller blonde in front of me. "Cloud, you can't tell me what to do. I HAVE to go."

Cloud's blue eyes burned into my dull hazel ones. He may be taller than me, but I'm older than him by FOUR years. "Shell, it's a fake. It's nothing. If you go, you're going to get hurt."

"So what if I do?"

"Shell, Sephiroth is _dead_."

I glared at Cloud, tears burning the corners of my eyes. "I don't care that he's dead. I don't care! You never understood him! You never knew why he did what he did! I WAS HIS BEST FRIEND!"

"Was! You were his best friend years ago, but not anymore!" Cloud shouted angrily. "He went crazy!"

_Crazy…crazy….CRAZY. _

Anger boiled up from deep within my body and without even realizing it, my fist connected with the blonde's cheek, sending a right hook at him and tossed him clear into the wall, leaving a nice-sized hole.

"Cloud!" Tifa shouted out in shock and quickly went to the blonde's side as he groaned and held a hand to his throbbing cheek.

I panted with my mouth closed, teeth seething from anger. "I'm going and there's _nothing _you can fucking do about it." And with that, I went to my room and slammed the door shut.

I got everything ready that I needed. I wasn't taking much, a couple pairs of clothes, Gil and a couple other things. I strapped my Gunscythe onto the belt around my back after putting my trench coat on. I yanked my boots on and then left my room, my boots thudding on the stairs as I left Seventh Heaven.

"Shell, think about this!" Tifa said as she came out, standing on the porch.

"I did. I don't care what you guys say." I glared at her a little. "I'm going." And then I walked away to the train station.

I waited about ten minutes and then boarded the train, sitting in a comfortable seat. The train sat at the station for about another twenty minutes and then it rode on down the rail way.

I sighed softly and slumped down in my seat. I honestly didn't know what I was gonna do when I got to Black Mansion…..all I knew was that I had to free Seph's soul….no matter what. I closed my eyes as a memory came back to me…

_Flashback, Nibelheim, Mako Reactor, 7 years ago, October 1__st_

"_No…" _

_I shook my head back and forth, trying to shake myself out of this horrible dream. _

_It wasn't a dream. _

_Nibelheim was burning and I knew this was going to happen. How stupid am I? Why didn't I stop it?! _

_Zack wasn't here yet…_

_I quickly headed to the Mako Reactor in the mountains; the one place I knew Sephiroth would be. I was panting heavily by the time I got there and I suddenly saw a man lying on the ground, blood staining his clothes. I rushed over to the man and put two fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse. _

_There was none. _

_Then I realized this man was Tifa's father. _

_And Tifa…_

"_Oh-no!" I whispered and quickly got up, running into the reactor. I heard Tifa's scream of anger and she swung the thin, long katana at Sephiroth, intending to wound him. "Wait!" I shouted out, hoping I caught her attention. _

_But I didn't. _

_As soon as I said that, the katana was yanked out of Tifa's hands and a blue line materialized in the air as Masamune came down across Tifa's torso diagonally. I heard her gasp out in shock and pain and she grunted and groaned as she tumbled down the stairs and then lay motionless at the bottom. _

"_TIFA!" I hurried to her side and gently rolled her onto her back, wincing when I saw the wound in her torso. I took my jacket off and placed it over her, trying to keep her warm. I glanced up at the top of the stairs, seeing the silver-haired man standing there. Blood trickled down from his katana and his emerald green eyes held an anger, a hatred and a murderous expression that was directed at me. _

_I slowly stood up. "Seph…" I said quietly, backing away a little as he descended the stairs. "Listen to me…..it's me Shell. Your best friend….remember?" _

_Emerald eyes glared into my own and I saw him clench his fist. "Shit…." I whispered and reached for my Gunscythe, but I was too late. Masamune came towards me in the blink of an eye and the tip of Masamune impaled into my right side and went all the way through flesh, blood splattering onto the ground. _

_I let out the most loudest and pain-filled scream I could manage. This was by far THE worst pain I have ever felt. I was lifted up into the air, the katana slicing deeper into my skin. A small stream of blood trickled from the corner of my mouth. _

"_You are in my way." Was all he said before he swung Masamune to the side. There was a squelching sound as I slid off the sword and was flung across the room. I felt a few of my bones breaking when I hit the wall hard and then the ground on my stomach. "S-Seph…." I coughed, blood flying out of my mouth. _

_A warm puddle of blood began to form from underneath my body. My vision was blurring, hot salty tears pouring down my pale cheeks. "Seph…" was the last thing I said before my eyes closed and everything went black. _

_End flashback_

I opened my eyes and tenderly touched my right side. After all these years, there was still a scar. I glanced out the window as the scenery went by and only could think of what was going to happen.


End file.
